Dallas Cowboys open training camp on Saturday

By Dwain Price, NDG Sports

FRISCO – Saturday is the first day of training camp for the Dallas Cowboys in Oxnard, CA. But the lingering question is whether or not running back Ezekiel Elliott will be there with them at any point during their stay in Southern California.

Multiple reports indicate Elliott will not be with the Cowboys for the start of training camp, primarily because he wants a contract extension in the neighborhood of $13 million-$15 million per year. Elliott, who led the NFL in rushing in two of the three seasons since he left Ohio State in 2016, has two years remaining on his rookie contract but wants to be paid in line with the NFL’s other top running backs.

For some odd reason, NFL teams have a shallow opinion of running backs, regardless of what that player brings to their program. But the Cowboys’ view is different since they really lean on their running backs to help jumpstart their passing game.

Since 2016, Elliott, who turned 24 on Monday, has a league-high 868 rushing attempts. Still, the Cowboys will have to determine before the season starts if he’s worth a large piece of their future salary cap.

Dak is looking for a bigger payday too

Meanwhile, quarterback Dak Prescott also is seeking a contract extension that averages around $30 million per season. Prescott, who, like Elliott, is entering his fourth season, truly believes he’s worth the investment.

“I’d say this is the best I’ve felt,” Prescott said. “Who knows? Is it (because I have) three years under my belt and just being in here and seeing defenses a whole lot more clear, being quicker and faster in everything that I want to do, having great teammates around me?

“I really feel great, I feel confident. I know my teammates. They do as well.”

Tight end Jason Witten, who retired after the 2017 season to pursue a career as a television analyst but is now back with the Cowboys, thinks Prescott has all the tools it takes to be a top-notch quarterback in the NFL.

“He just wants to be great,” Witten said. “He truly is chasing greatness. He wants to be great in everything that he does. You can see the improvement.

“I know I can (see the improvement), from being away from (the NFL) for a year, see how much he’s improved with his game as a quarterback. He’s just at another level. It gives me a lot of confidence, and I know it gives this football team a lot of confidence. I think it’s going to be a special year for him.”

Two new offensive sheriffs in charge

While Prescott is brimming with confidence, he also has to get accustomed to working with a pair of new bosses that include offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and quarterback coach Jon Kitna. The latter was a quarterback for the Cowboys from 2009, ’10, ‘11 and ’13, while Moore was a quarterback for the Cowboys in ‘16 and ’17, was their quarterback coach last season and will be calling the plays this upcoming season.

Moore already has established a quality relationship with Prescott. Thus, getting in-tuned with Prescott in the play-calling department should be a breeze.

“The more we can go through those scenarios, especially for me, obviously selfishly just calling plays and all of that good stuff, obviously it’s huge,” Moore said. “(Dak) kind of understands all of the why’s to all of this stuff.”

Head coach Jason Garrett knows Moore will be extremely beneficial to Prescott’s development.

“I think they’ll like each other, I think there’s mutual respect,” Garrett said. “There’s a level of respect that allows them to communicate well with each other — very honestly with each other.”

Prescott thinks Moore will make a seamless transition from being the team’s quarterback coach to taking on the very essential play-calling duties.

“He has a great way of doing it, he has a great way of seeing the game,” Prescott said. “You look around the league, and everybody’s looking for that new young hire, the guy that has the brains, the guys that played not too long ago, that can incorporate a little bit of the new football with the old NFL style.”

Adding offensive firepower

Last year with Prescott passing for 3,885 yards and 22 touchdowns, the Cowboys won the NFC East with a 10-6 record. They followed that up by clipping Seattle in the postseason wild card game, 24-22, before losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional playoff game, 30-22.

In the offseason, the Cowboys added some more firepower to their offense when they signed former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb to a one-year, $5 million contract last March. Cobb had 470 receptions for 5,524 yards – 11.8 yards per catch – and 41 touchdowns in eight seasons with the Packers.

When the Cowboys line up Cobb on the opposite end from wide receiver Amari Cooper, that makes for a formidable receiving corps. Especially when Michael Gallup is added to the mix.

“Right now I’m just trying to get down the calls and the plays and the terminology,” Cobb said. “I’m so focused on my job that it’s kind of hard to see everybody else’s.

“I’m excited to work with those guys and to learn from them, too – guys with a lot of experience. Things are starting to slow down for me a little bit with the play calls in the huddle and knowing where I’m supposed to be and not worrying about the play calls so much as I was before. But now I’m working more on my technique and running my routes against guys.”

Cooper – Dallas acquired him from the Oakland Raiders midway through last season – and Cobb will both be experiencing their first training camp with the Cowboys starting this weekend. Cobb also will be putting the finishing touches on getting acclimated with the way Prescott operates.

“I think the biggest thing for me is just continue to build chemistry with him,” Cobb said. “We’re both very open about talking through things, and that’s the biggest thing is communication.”

Now, if only the Cowboys can get the lines of communication open between themselves and Elliott so he won’t miss any valuable time in training camp.